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On The Road With Elvis

August 19, 2020 | Music

This limited edition version of Bruce Jackson's 'On the Road with Elvis' with 3 CDs featuring audio commentary by Jack Mullins and two soundboards: Sioux Falls, October 18 1976 and Atlanta, December 30, 1976, will be available as a Follow That Dream (FTD) release in September. Bruce was Elvis' sound engineer at the concerts from 1971 to 1977. The book was previously released on its own by Gary Jackson in 2018.

Source:The OEPFC of Great Britain
Gladyslove wrote on August 19, 2020
Only good for those who didn´t bought the book back in 2018.
Walter wrote on August 19, 2020
There's a promo video available on line where you can hear a small portion of Such a night from the Atlanta show.Sounds pretty mediocre to me taking in consideration that it was recorded by a sound engineer directly from the soundboard.
TheMemphisFan wrote on August 19, 2020
This could be the start of something great. Will more Bruce Jackson-recorded soundboards follow?
benny scott wrote on August 19, 2020
"Only good for those who didn´t buy the book back in 2018". ?? I don't think so . As far as I know this was just the book, no CDs. Talking about the 2 concert CDs : 18 october 1976 : unreleased in any form 'till now (correct me if I'm wrong, and if I am, I'll gladly admit it). The 30 december 1976 show was released in 2015 by the Touchdown Productions import label as an audience recording. Our Elvisconcerts connoisseur Cisco stated it was a real good show and one of the best from 1976. As for the snippet of "Such a night" from the Alanta show you can hear on the promo : it was recorded directly from the soundboard on a cassette.(so is the 18 oct 76 show) I wouldn't call it "mediocre" when you compare it to the available Touchdown samples of "Big Boss man", "Unchained melody" and "That's all right". Let's wait for the final result after the sound has (without any doubt) been improved by the sound ingineers. It's not wise to put something down before having heard the final product.
Gladyslove wrote on August 20, 2020
benny, what I mean is that those who bought the book had to buy it again, with the cds cause the cds can´t be bought seperatly.
benny scott wrote on August 20, 2020
Gladyslove : OK, no harm done ! Best regards.
Bob Finkel wrote on August 20, 2020
Gladyslove, you hit the point. Again a book / CD release to justify a high price. And right, I bought the book in 2018 and now have to buy it again with 2 soundboards. Like Old McDonald: books here, books there, books everywhere ... and that means a lot of cash for FTD. The three CD pack would have been enough for me. Ernst Jorgensen rang my front door bell, I asked him to tell me whats on his mind, he said Money Honey. If this continues, it will get more and more expensive for all of us. But that's just my opinion.
Walter wrote on August 20, 2020
Benny Scott: there are limitations on cassettes as far as sound improvement is concerned. This person was a sound engineer one would think it would sound much better then this. I wonder if this is how it actually sounded during the live concert. Bob Finkel: You are right! Now we’re going to have the Bruce Jackson limited editions. The fact that FTD is actually picking on this, it makes me wonder…!
benny scott wrote on August 20, 2020
Psilopechtris : would have been better if it had been recorded on a taperecorder, agreed. Every audio source has it's limitations indeed(tape recorders too). However, I hope some improvement can be made. Bob Finkel : I didn't buy the book in 2018. Buying it now will depend on the sound quality of the CDs. If the sound should not be good enough I'll pass. As for the price : not known yet. My experience is that a lot of FTD-stuff in general is cheaper in Europe than in the USA, and even in Europe there are serious differences in price,depending on who is selling the releases, but I remember that many years ago, in a way of speaking, small fortunes were paid for bootleg-LPs offering audience recordings sounding ghastly.
benny scott wrote on August 20, 2020
For me it's already a done deal reading the comment of Bernard Roughton. Won't buy it.
Walter wrote on August 20, 2020
I don't know, maybe it's me but It just seems like everyone working around Elvis at the time didn't care or was too incompetent. I look at releases from artists from the same era and you see quality (decent) recordings audio / video. And when it comes to Elvis we get crappy cassette audience recordings, books with images taken from film, incomplete recordings with excuses like the tape ran out, just lame excuses. With almost every release there's always some kind of ridiculous excuse for either the quality, the fact that the recording was incomplete. If you look closely to the introduction of the remastered version of TTWII you can see a very brief moment of Elvis during Stranger in the Crowd which is in pristine quality and yet when you look at the outtake in the same DVD or Blu-ray it looks like it was taken from an amateur video source. I guess they are saving the good stuff for the 100th anniversary of whatever!
TheMemphisFan wrote on August 20, 2020
~ My guess is that Ernst Jorgensen has long been talking to the Bruce Jackson family about getting access to a handful of Elvis soundboards that Sony/RCA doesn't already have access to. It's very possible that the Jackson family was only willing to release a couple of taped shows to Ernst if he agreed to include them in the "On The Road With Elvis" book, which would further promote the book to those that didn't previously buy it. Perhaps if this new book/cd set sells out, there'll be more Bruce Jackson soundboards to follow on the FTD label... possibly some from 1973 & 1972... without having to purchase a book! Let's all hope so!
Bob Finkel wrote on August 20, 2020
TheMemphisFan, I really really hope that you are right. Soundboards from Jackson without having to purchase a book in the future. Would be great.
benny scott wrote on August 20, 2020
"Soundboards from Jackson without having to purchase a book in the future. Would be great." Bob Finkel, I second that. But for now we have to wait untill the forthcoming release is a fact and somebody can tell us about the sound on the silver disks.Don't need a book of which the first 74 pages have nothing to do with our man. So dixit TheMemphisFan : let's all hope !
Dazman wrote on August 21, 2020
Yes, I sure hope FTD give fans that option of a separate CD set from the book. As for me I haven't got the book so I'm happy to get the whole package. That said I can't understand why this can't happen. They did this before with Rocking Across Texas and Live In L.A. I can't believe they didn't do the same with Fashion for a King, given that it's also a deleted item. Re: the sound of these recordings, if there was a perfect example of why these soundboards weren't intended for release then the Atlanta tape would be one of them. It sounds like another one of those arrhythmic, piano lead acapella mixes heavily laden with tape hiss. While that would be an unfair criticism, it wouldn't have sounded that way on stage or from the audience. But it does intrigue me as to why the playback quality sounds as if you're on stage with Elvis or as if you are in the audience on one hand, while others are sound so muffled and unbalanced on the other ?
Dazman wrote on August 21, 2020
Psilopechtris: I think these live recordings from other artists you speak of are probably recorded in multi-track format for album purposes by their record label company. I think their soundboard recordings would've encountered the same limitations and variations in quality as Elvis' sound engineers did, assuming they were around in the same period.
Dazman wrote on August 21, 2020
I wonder if Bruce Jackson's collection would also includes any Vegas/Tahoe recordings ?
Walter wrote on August 21, 2020
Given the fact the Mr Jackson was a sound engineer I would've expected something better (sound quality) especially since FTD seems to be interested in these type of recordings. I've heard audience recordings that sound much better then the Atlanta show in this set. Remember New Year's Eve 1976 from FTD?
Walter wrote on August 21, 2020
... by the way I have a show from late summer of 1976 (don't recall the title of the cd) where you can actually hear Elvis saying to the sound engineer ''break three fingers'' and this was after multiple sound feedbacks during the show.
Dazman wrote on August 22, 2020
As for the Sioux Falls show from October 18, we got 2 bonus tracks from this date from the Minnesota Moment FTD, being "Fairytale" and "America" which were solid versions but nothing outstanding. The sound was a bit dull too, however I hope Jan Eliasson's mastering is an improvement on what Lene Reidel delivered. Overall, I found Elvis' form a bit reticent in the first half of the tour barring some exceptions. Which is why I'm really looking forward to FTD releasing shows from the back end like Evansville, Dayton and Carbondale among others.
Adams wrote on August 23, 2020
Well, I'm not going to blame Mr. Jackson but we must consider the fact that soundboards from the year 1976 alone differ extremely one from another. Just listen to oustandingly fantastic sounding DAE'a Old times they are not forgotten (probably the best sounding soundboard of all Elvis' soundboards) and also quite outstanding Holding back the years or My, it's been a long long time and compare them to terribly sounding Hurt (for years most fans haven't even realised that it was a soundboard recording) or almost as terrible Run on from LV 76 and in between dull sounding Birmingham 76 (great concert on its own). How could these concerts differ so overwhelmingly much? And they were all recorded by the same person - Mr. jackson! I'm not an engineer or other specialist in sound matters, but maybe someone could explain all of this. Was it the problem of equippment or yet maybe the problem of Bruce Jackson's work, not always as good as it could be.
Gladyslove wrote on August 24, 2020
Someone in another forum mention that this set cost about 140 Euros. A joke or the truth ?
Walter wrote on August 24, 2020
Adams: The recordings in Vegas should've been consistent given the fact that the console was always in the same room. As for the shows in '76 that you mentioned, I agree with you that they sound good. I think it's one of these shows that you can actually hear Elvis saying to the sound engineer ''break three fingers'' because of the feedback. Elvis was surrounded by excellent musicians but the people working in the background is left to be desired. Elvis was not known for making major changes in his entourage. He liked to be in his comfort zone which is ok for a certain period of time after that problems begin to arise. Gladyslove: Somehow I am not surprised about the price. Worth waiting for the release without the book and the narrating cd. For sure FTD will release this... after all it's all about ''milking the cow'' Just look at the reason they gave about postponing the release of Nashville untill November 20th. They said it was because of COVID, when in fact it coincides with the american Thanksgiving.
Ciscoking wrote on August 29, 2020
I am only talking about the shows...and let me tell you its 1976 deluxe.
Walter wrote on August 31, 2020
Apparently this release will be postponed until November 2020. I guess it's becoming a new trend... blame it on COVID
Boxcar wrote on September 03, 2020
Elvis Matters does not have this as pre-order but yet the announcement is (again):Pro-order and pay months in advance or you won't get it as there will be no re-print. What way of treating 20 year loyal customers is this? I've pre-ordered 2 TTWII sets for 500+ Euro and still have to worry if I get what I paid for? One promise Ernst: If after 21 years I have the first gap in my collection due to the mysterious new marketing concept I'll primose I'll get the CD releases thereafter from other sources .. the cheaper way.
Stefan74 wrote on January 27, 2021
I have heard a sample of such a night if it was really this show but the sound was really not impressive. The dec 76 tour soundboards were not perfect mixed but that what I have heard was not in that quality. Has anybody heard such a night from atlanta?
Stefan74 wrote on February 10, 2021
Today I have recieved the set and I have listend to bits of the concerts but not the interviews. Tge October show sounds like Minnesota Moment from FTD , so it's ok but nothing more. The Atlanta show which for me was the most important one is very piano heavy. The sound is like tge Birmingham concert from the day before, but not in the same quality. Sometimes the piano is interesting, but mostly it is annoying. I think the audience recording Atlanta Loves Elvis brings more listening pleasure. In fact I am disappointed from the sound given the price of the set.